July Bonus: Stryper; Secpond Coming

Arin Hancock: This is the Rock and Metal Faith Podcast. Welcome to the Rock N Metal Faith Podcast, where it's all about the rock that makes me sing, Christian Rock N Metal, from the classics to today. I'm your host, Arin Hancock, joined with my co-host.

Kris plamondon: Kris Plamondon how are you guys doing? Welcome.

Arin Hancock: Yes, welcome. And ⁓ this is monthly bonus episode. If you're just joining us, we throw out a bonus episode once a month where we will talk about a featured band and then get into the birthdays for that month. Today's featured band actually is Stryper. you might be surprised we haven't talked about them before. Well ⁓ Well, we

Kris plamondon: Well Arin Come on now.

Arin Hancock: We talked yes, okay, I know we talk about them all the time on the program, so and there's a reason why I kinda wanted to do them as the bonus feature. ⁓ yeah, why haven't we done them as a bonus feature before yet? Or you you might think they would have been the first band. Well, they weren't the first band 'cause I figured they'd be that's kinda obvious. and Stryper is one of those bands I think everybody knows, but Maybe not. You know, if you're new to the Christian rock and metal scene, this is why we do feature bands. Most bands so far have been kind of legendary bands and you think everybody knows about them. But newcomers to the scene may not realize them more. They go, Well everybody's talking about those bands, but who are they?

Kris plamondon: Mm.

Arin Hancock: So we like to do a quick overview. And the reason we talked about gonna talk about Stryper is coming up this month, we're gonna release an episode where we're doing Stryper's album, The Covering. If you just joined the podcast, we've been going through the Stryper ⁓ chronologically, between a bunch of other episodes, ⁓ and up to the covering. And so around this time I think it would be good to get into Second Coming, which was an album of Stryper's that was essentially re-recorded songs. So I was just explaining Kris They're they left the original label Enigma. They didn't have rights to the songs on the first three albums, four albums, something like that. So they wanted to get the rights back. The easiest way to do that is to re-record the songs And on that album is two brand new tracks. Bleeding from the inside out and Blackened. What do you think of those tracks, Kris?

Kris plamondon: ⁓ my gosh, I was pleasantly blown away. I was ⁓ I was expecting and that when I first saw it, I thought, ⁓ they're they're just redoing the old songs. I'm like, ⁓ well. I didn't l listen to them because I've heard them a thousand times, right? Went and found the two tracks I haven't heard before and wow. I've added them to my playlist, so that says a lot.

Arin Hancock: Right. Yeah, I've got those when that album came out I bought those two as downloads and then I think I bought a couple of the older ones that I don't listen to quite so much, but yeah, all the the mainstage songs, the Hell the Devil Soldiers, I've got a couple of copies of already. Didn't need a third copy. Didn't bother with those. For those who are not familiar with Stryper, and I don't know where you've been if you're not, but ⁓ listen.

Kris plamondon: Yeah. Wow.

Arin Hancock: Let's do a quick overview on the band. Came out in 1984, Their first album was an EP called The Yellow and Black Attack. Then was Michael Sweet ⁓ on guitars and vocals. Don't he plays guitars as well as sing. ⁓ Oz Fox on guitars, Robert on drums, and Timothy Gaines on bass.

Kris plamondon: Robert Sweet on drums is awesome. I mean he is talented back there.

Arin Hancock: ⁓ yeah, he's great. And stuff. He he's ⁓ influenced quite a few other drummers.

Kris plamondon: ⁓ well this is still on topic. Did you see Michael Sweet's health update today?

Arin Hancock: Not today, no.

Kris plamondon: ⁓ well he put out a and he said that ⁓ he posted the post the wrong way. He didn't post what he wanted to say ⁓ by accident, I think because I only found out because the comments. They were all like, Praise God ⁓ So I'm assuming that it's good news.

Arin Hancock: Okay. Ha ha ha.

Kris plamondon: It sounds like he's gonna be fine and I don't know if he's in remission. I don't know.

Arin Hancock: That's good. Okay.

Kris plamondon: Sounds good.

Arin Hancock: Alright, yeah, we'll get into more Stryper news on the n ⁓ episode we record. ⁓ we're recording these is a little bit out of order and a little bit close together. So some of the news when you hear on the big episodes ⁓ isn't be that new anymore, but ⁓ it us something to talk about. ⁓

Kris plamondon: Yeah.

Arin Hancock: And what else? Yeah, so that was lineup for Stryper. They released five albums ⁓ and then took a bit of a break. Michael Sweet left the band their fifth one, ⁓ Against the Law. ⁓ Citing that the band was ⁓ leading a hypocritical lifestyle that even he was part of he couldn't do that anymore. ⁓ that ⁓ yeah he couldn't be in a Christian band doing the things they were doing left the band. ⁓ Stryper tried to carry on a little bit without him ⁓ and wasn't as successful. So that it for ⁓ about twelve, thirteen Well during that time Michael Sweet had ⁓ Sort of leaving the music business, but also putting out a few solo records as well. And then one of his solo records called Reborn. ⁓ he's in talks with the band. They're trying to get him back together. They're doing a few shows together again. And when Oz Fox hears the songs for of Reborn before it's released, he says, these are great. We should release this as a Stryper record. Michael agrees to come back to the ⁓ and he's been back ever since. The band's been going great ever since. Actually, those two songs I totally listened to, there Blackened then Bleeding from the Inside, kind of sound like where the band is gonna be going. one of those songs sound like it could have been written for the next upcoming album, which was ⁓ No More Hell to Pay. It's kind of got sound to it. So yeah, ⁓ on the the second coming alb album, some of the tr ⁓ the new tracks there kinda start showing where the band is going. Yeah, I like it. ⁓ Timothy Gaines has left the band and during that transition time they're when they're getting back together, he's with the band, he and then he leaves the band. I think he's back for another album. He's kinda in and out for a couple of albums. And then Timothy Gaines leaves. They bring in Perry Richardson on bass. ⁓ he's been with the band ever since he joined. So that's a quick overview on Stryper. ⁓ I don't know if we need to say ⁓ songs, favorite tracks. We talk about that all the time. ⁓ we talk about Stryper all the time. So ⁓

Kris plamondon: Yeah, well yeah, we w we might have to change the title, The Rock N Metal Faith plus Stryper

Arin Hancock: Well I was thinking of making this like a a Stryper podcast and you know what there's some other guys out there doing the same thing now a Stryper only podcast To Hell with the podcast they're called Great Show check them out Alright on to birthdays now So July second we have Troy Thompson from Bride he is the guitarist from Bride Him his brother have been the mainstay of the band basically from inception till now it's demise. Troy Thompson was born in 1966, July 2nd. Speaking of Stryper, July 4th is Michael Sweet's birthday. Born 1963. And July 7th, the same year, Perry Richardson. So there we go. We've got two Stryper birthdays just days apart.

Kris plamondon: Wow.

Arin Hancock: July 10th, we have an album anniversary. The Rox Regime Demos, which is a Stryper record. This was before Stryper went under the name Stryper. They were originally known as Rox Regime. And I can't remember what year this was released now. But the Rox Regime demos were released. And essentially a bunch of songs that were gonna become Stryper songs. ⁓ What's basically it's demos of what you hear on the first Stryper EP, yellow and black attack. So if you like if you're a classic ⁓ collector, like hearing demos and where songs come from, check out the rocks regime.

Kris plamondon: D ⁓ you have it?

Arin Hancock: I don't have that one. No, it is available in streaming. I've heard a little bit, ⁓ kind of checking out Stryper's music as as I do research on the albums that we've been going through. And I was kind of comparing how of the songs have changed ⁓ is all. But yeah, I don't actually own one. I'm not that big of a collector. ⁓ July thirteenth, we have Louis Weaver.

Kris plamondon: Ha ha

Arin Hancock: who did drums for Petra. He was part of their classic lineup in the eighties. He's not with Petra anymore. I can't remember what years he played with him now. But Louis Weaver, born nineteen fifty one. July fifteenth, we have Rocky McConnell, who is the manager for a new band called Chaotic Resemblance. And he celebrates birthday July 15th. July 18th, we have Alexander Apassan, who did drums for Bride. He was in kind of the later years, I think he was in the post nineties, probably the two thousands, he was playing with with them. I can't remember what years he was with Bride. But Alexander Posson born 1981. July 20th, we have another Stryper album anniversary. Their first greatest hits ⁓ collection called Can't Stop the Rock. was released in 1991. We kind of covered that one. That was the greatest hits, but two. Feature yeah, featured two new songs. That was kind of one of my first ones I bought because I would just get into Stryper. I'm like, this has got the older stuff I don't have great way to into that

Kris plamondon: Yeah, that that's a good album. Yeah.

Arin Hancock: before I go out and buy the other stuff. July twenty first, we have a birthday Corey Cooper from Skillet, born nineteen seventy two.

Kris plamondon: Yeah, a band that I think we're gonna talk talk about in the next while.

Arin Hancock: Yeah, well after they're making news in waves too, so ⁓ as of yeah, they said what was their their song Monster has just reached like a billion streams on Spotify.

Kris plamondon: That is mind blowing. They're just I saw them talk about that at their concert but John talked about it and how humble he was. He was like, That is awesome. ⁓ I mean and of course the fans are outside they all went nuts. I'm like, Wow And who said Christian music is boring? ⁓

Arin Hancock: Right. Yeah. Well you know, and I I think they're another band now that they've kinda done the the mainstream crossover and getting success in the mainstream, they're kinda l like Stryper and they're getting fans that aren't necessarily Christians, so you know, new fans are getting to the word. And you know, that that'd be a great topic that we'll maybe cover late later this summer. ⁓ the relevance of Christian bands or or the function of a Christian band, put it that way.

Kris plamondon: Yeah. And of course Christians out there who just don't like it that it's loud, period. I mean Yeah. Well Stryper fits right in there too, you know.

Arin Hancock: Yeah, we'll get into the we'll get into that in a later episode. I do ⁓ do have ⁓ top that topic planned. ⁓ yes. Yes, definitely. Corey Cooper is does keyboards but is the rhythm guitarist for skillet. Yeah. ⁓ And ⁓ married to John Cooper. I that part I knew, but ⁓

Kris plamondon: ⁓ okay. That's cool. The keyboards are pretty cool in most of their songs. The da da da da. Yeah.

Arin Hancock: Alright, also on July 21st, we got more Stryper albums being released. ⁓ here we go. ⁓ Yellow and Black Attack, which we were talking about their first EP, first release. That came out way back in 1984. Also on the same day, ⁓ a few years later, 2009, was Murder by Pride. We've covered Murder by Pride. ⁓ if you don't know that record maybe hit check our archives and have a listen to that episode. You know any of these bands that we talk about on our bonus episode, if you don't know them, chances are we've already talked about them with a large episode, gone through the music, the catalog library, and if you want to know more about those bands, just do a search through our archives.

Kris plamondon: Yeah, go listen to it and share with your friends. If your friends have questions, they can comment on us on our page.

Arin Hancock: And I we got birthday on here. I didn't write down what band he's with, and I don't know him by name. Alright, we're gonna skip that birthday. This is Ryan Helm, who was formerly of some band, did rhythm guitars, but I forgot to write down which band he was with. So if any if anyone knows what band Ryan Helm used to be part of, I I'm thinking it was Demon Hunter, but I c I'm not sure.

Kris plamondon: That would be helpful.

Arin Hancock: Reach out to us in the comments and let us know who he is. July 26th, Stryper released their greatest hits live from Puerto Rico. That was a 2007 release. And July 29th. We have Mark Gershmell, who was a founding member and the keyboardist for the band born in 1954. Favorite Whiteheart song, Kris?

Kris plamondon: ⁓ his heart was always in it. That would be a good song for us to talk about one of these days 'cause it rocks.

Arin Hancock: Okay. I would probably go with Yeah. ⁓ I'd probably go with Powerhouse. I know that was one of my favorites. Also, ⁓ July twenty-ninth, Gary Lenaire who does guitars with Tourniquet. He was part of the band's formation from in eighty-nine, was with the band till ninety-six. ⁓ And yeah, he's he's been posting, he's kind of reforming the band again. Tourniquet is working on a brand new record.

Kris plamondon: We gotta get them on the show. That would just be awesome.

Arin Hancock: Yeah, and we've had s suggestions for that.

Kris plamondon: Yeah. I if there's any fans out there who have an inside track with Tourniquet, let Arin know. That would be awesome.

Arin Hancock: Yeah. Yeah. Anyways, Gary Lenaire was born in nineteen sixty-seven. Like I said, he celebrates a birthday July twenty-ninth. And unfortunately I'm leaving the saddest for last, because July twenty-ninth also a death anniversary. Michael Bloodgood went to be with Lord in 2022.

Kris plamondon: ⁓ I didn't know that. Okay.

Arin Hancock: Yeah, he is the bassist and founding member of the band, Bloodgood. And yeah, so once he passed away, that was it for that band. Les Carlson, the vocalist, has carried on. ⁓ under his own name continues to put out music and I'm sure he's in his eighties or nineties ⁓ you know still putting out music so check that out but that's it for birthdays that's it for our quick overview on Stryper and that's it for the Rock N Metal Faith for our July bonus episode. So yes share this out there subscribe like and let everybody know you're listening and get them listening as well

Kris plamondon: And I wanna thank all the our subscribers that are out there. Thank you for listening and keep rocking.

Arin Hancock: Keep rocking in, God bless.

Kris plamondon: Yeah, God bless.